FIDE (World Chess Federation)

FIDE, the International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation, is the international organisation that connects national chess federations and acts as the governing body of international chess competition. It is based in Switzerland, was founded in Paris in 1924 and uses the Latin motto Gens una sumus, meaning We are one Family. The International Olympic Committee recognised it in 1999 as the supreme body responsible for organising chess and its championships at global and continental levels. FIDE has organised the World Chess Championship since 1948, runs the Chess Olympiad, the Candidates Tournament and the Chess World Cup, defines the rules of chess, keeps the Elo rating list and awards titles such as Grandmaster. As of December 2023 it had 201 member federations, grouped in continental regions including the European Chess Union.